As systems, such as the multimedia entertainment, communications and diagnostic systems utilized in the transportation industry become more complex, a need arises for additional devices to communicate with one another. Historically, these systems included dedicated wiring extending between the various devices in order to support their communication. As systems have become more integrated and communication requirements have increased, the required amount of dedicated wiring has quickly become excessively large, both in terms of the space required for the wiring and the cost of the wiring and the attendant installation.
The cabin-services system within an aircraft cabin includes passenger service units (PSUs) that provide a number of functions to passengers, such as reading lights and attendant call lights (for requesting an attendant). These PSUs are controlled by respective passenger control units (PCUs), and these PCUs are currently integrated with passenger in-flight entertainment (IFE) systems that provide the wiring to passenger seats for both the power and communication required by the PCUs.
The increasing proliferation of mobile computing devices such as smartphones and tablet computers that provide effective display capabilities has prompted a thought that passengers in the future will bring their own devices for IFE viewing. Given this trend, a segment of airlines have proposed to either not provide any IFE system, or only provide wireless dissemination of IFE content and defer to the passengers to use their own mobile computing devices for viewing. This proposal has a compelling value proposition to aircraft manufacturers and airlines in that it may simplify seat installations/configurations by eliminating the need to provide electrical wiring to IFE systems for power and communication, and in that it may provide airlines with greater flexibility in managing IFE content and how it is delivered to passengers. But the elimination of this electrical wiring also gives rise to a challenge in powering PCUs and enabling them to communicate.
Therefore, it may be desirable to have an apparatus and method that takes into account at least some of the issues discussed above, as well as possibly other issues.